Stranger Than You Think
by TreesAndSeas
Summary: Sam is Alpha. Sam is strong. And Sam has just imprinted. SamXOC
1. Chapter 1

Caroline knew she shouldn't have been at First Beach, she didn't particularly want to be there either. She had an essay to write and college applications to fill out in the comfort of her warm home where she could watch a movie with her sister and try to get some sleep. Instead she had wrapped herself in two jackets and drove through the rain to the birthday party she now sat at. It had been fun for a while but as the night went on people got drunker and boys got leery and she wished she was anywhere but here. Cold and unhappy, she slowly inched her way to the outskirts of the group where her company was discarded beer cans and the occasional bird swooping on scarps. Caroline liked the peace she felt as she looked out at the dark sea, it's waves crashing down like a lullaby. She wished it was warm enough to swim. As a child she always tried to swim out to the buoys but her mother, always the worrier, would call her back before she would reach them. Those faded red figures always felt so unattainable and it only made her want them more.

From behind her a commanding voice startled, "Excuse me miss. We're going to need your group to quiet down or we will have to ask you to leave."

Standing exactly one foot taller than her at six foot eight, Caroline turned to stare right into the chest of Samuel Uley, town legend. Caroline needed to take a step back to look him in the eye and when she did she felt her stomach twist. The fire behind him seemed to give him an outline of a harsh glow, heat radiating off his body straight into her heart, and he looked every bit as intimidating as she expected him to be, regardless of the dopey expression he wore. His eyes felt heavy on her.

"I'm sorry." Caroline mumbled, "I was just getting ready to leave."

The dazed look was wiped off of Sam's face and for a moment he seemed distressed before slipping back into his usual hard gaze. The intensity made Caroline feel naked. "You don't need to leave, just quiet down. Also we need to confiscate your alcohol." Sam gestured to another, equally sized man who was throwing beer cans in a trash bag as teenagers glared but did nothing to stop it. "You haven't been drinking have you?"

"No, sir." She wondered how old Sam actually was. Her guess was at least twenty four. She remembered her father mentioning something about him once, possibly about his age or his job

Sam gave a little chuckle at her, "No need to call me sir. Just making sure no one's driving drunk. I'm Sam."

Caroline took his extended hand in her own. His hand was warm and rough. "Caroline Jones. I guess I'll see you around."

She moved to walk past him but he grabbed her arm. "Is it ok if I give you my number? Just to make sure you get home safe, of course."

"Uh sure, but I can't find my phone" She said as she dug through her purse for a pen. "What is it?"

Sam gave her his number and watched her as she walked to her car and continued to watch her as she drove off down the road. He didn't need to tell Jared what had happened, he had felt the dynamic of their pack change. Sam had heard legends about imprints, and he had thought they had been just that, legends. Then again he could turn into a wolf so he supposed anything was possible at this point. Jared walked him home silently and then left to take over patrols from Paul. Back home, hours later, he sat in silence. His hands dug grooves into the wooden kitchen chair as he fought the pull in his chest that would undoubtedly lead to Caroline. He wondered if she was safe in her bed or if she was in some kind of danger or if she would even call at all. The phone rang and with inhuman speed her ran to it

"Hello?"

The voice on the other end was not one he wanted to hear. "Sam, this is Billy. The council requests a meeting first thing tomorrow morning. It is very-."

With a loud crack the wooden chair was in pieces on the floor. Sam felt like he was going to burst and the pressure in his chest increased by the second. The phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Sam? Hi, it's Caroline. From the party." Her voice had a tired ring to it and Sam thought it was terribly sexy.

"Hey. I'm glad to hear you got home safe. I, uh." Sam couldn't think of a thing to say to save his life.

Luckily for him Caroline could, "Yeah I got home just fine. Did a cell phone turn up after I left?"

No. No one had. But Sam saw a way to see her again so he took it. "One turned up, yeah. Would you want to stop by and pick it up tomorrow?"

"That would be great. You live down the road from Billy Black, right?" How did she know Billy Black? Still, he told her yes and begrudgingly hung up when the time came.

Sam always felt like he was battling himself, he battled to find some sort of balance between man and wolf. Since his first phase, so scared and alone, he battled his feelings. He was a monster, he was sure of it. Monsters didn't deserve happiness, they didn't deserve to feel joy. Sam would never move away, he would never go off to college and live his life. He was rooted deep. So Sam laid in bed and stared at the ceiling and told himself just that.

Caroline came over in the late afternoon the next day. Sam liked the way she looked, sitting in his kitchen with a cup of coffee. Caroline was "traditionally" beautiful with dark hair contrasting against light skin and blue eyes. Her eyes roamed over the kitchen before shyly looking down into her cup. He wanted to make this an everyday event. From his shorts pockets he pulled out his old cell phone and passed it to her. Her face fell and he regretted his choice immediately.

"That's not it. Thanks anyway, Sam." Her smile was genuine. She stood to leave and the look of her legs in shorts just about killed him. He wanted those legs wrapped around him and suddenly he felt much more man than he had before. She turned to him and her eyes trailed up his bare chest to meet his eyes. Her brown hair fell in front of her lust filled eyes. Sam extended his hand to push her hair away and that was when it all exploded.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone! I realized I didn't put an authors note in the first chapter so here I am with my first story. Obviously I don't own the Twilight series. Also reviews keep me motivated so the more the merrier. **

"I'm so sorry." Caroline mumbled as she pulled her shirt over her head. Across the room Sam cleaned himself up. "I don't know what came over me. I'm not usually like that, all impulsive and what not. I barely even know you."

Sam gave a small laugh and told her, "You don't need to be sorry. I had fun and there's nothing wrong with two adults having fun, right?"Somewhere between Sam's kitchen and his bedroom their mouths were separated long enough for Caroline to mention that she is eighteen and Sam to mention that he is twenty. There wasn't much talking after that. Confidently Sam crossed the room to her and gently ran his finger tips up her arm. It felt like an electric shock to Caroline and Sam could see her melt into his hand just a little bit. Perhaps it was his Alpha tendencies but he liked the power his touch had over her. "I'd like to see you again. Would you like to come over for dinner tomorrow night?"

"That sounds great." Caroline told him with a small smile. "I'll see you then."

Sam walked her to the front door and watched her car until it was out of sight. He walked out to the tree line, removed his shorts, and phased into his wolf form. Instantly the tug increased. He had discovered this morning that the man had much more control over his desire to be with his imprint than the wolf did.

_"You didn't fuck her?" _Paul's voice rang through his mind as he watched the images play in Sam's head.

_"Of course not. I've only known her for a day. I don't want to scare her off."_ Sam couldn't hide his annoyance at his pack brother. He would have snapped at him if Paul wasn't miles away.

_"Whatever man. When are you going to tell her?"_

_ "I don't know. I don't really think there's a right point in a relationship to tell someone you morph into a wolf and off vampires."_

Paul chuckled, _"I say the sooner the better, dude."_

_ "You really think so?"_

_ "Totally."_

"You didn't fuck him?"Of all the friends Caroline had, Maggie Birch was her closest and oldest friend. Maggie was as blunt as she was beautiful.

"Of course not. I've known him for a day."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "But you wanted to. You totally should. Who cares if the people here think you're a slut? Everyone thinks I'm a slut and I get along just fine. 'Sides, you're probably going away to college so it's not like it matters."

"You know I hate that word." Caroline moaned. "And I haven't decided if I'm going away to college or staying here."

"Why wouldn't you want to go off and away? You worked your ass off to get the grades to get accepted and now you have." Maggie had always dreamed of leaving Forks and starting her life somewhere else. She hated the rain and the greenery and the small town life.

"You know why. Mom needs help with Katie."

As a child Caroline's father, a member of the Forks police department, had died from a gunshot wound. He left behind her mother, herself, and her little sister Katie. Caroline was eight when it happened, Katie was two months old. To help pick up the slack Caroline acted like another mother to Katie, reading her bedtime stories, cooking her dinner, and walking her to school. She was the most important part of her life.

"They wont die if you're gone for nine months. They want what's best for you too."

If only she knew what was best for her.

The outdoor shopping center was surprisingly crowded for a Sunday afternoon. The sun was covered by thick gray clouds and Caroline and Maggie hopped from shop to shop. Maggie insisted on helping Caroline find something to wear on her date. A quick glance at the clock told her she had five hours till she needed to be at Sam's. Outside a small coffee shop the two girls ate a quick lunch and people watched, occasionally seeing a familiar face.

"Hey look, it's the Cullen's." Maggie whispered and nudged her head in their direction. Alice and Edward Cullen stood outside one of the nicer shops as Alice jabbered away on her cell phone and Edward brooded in the corner. Caroline always felt a bit put off by the two and the rest of their family. With their beautiful features and quiet ways she always felt like they thought of themselves as above the rest of the Forks population. The wind began to pick up, blowing Caroline's hair into her face. She almost didn't see the way Edward Cullen turned to her, his eyes ablaze with anger and something she couldn't describe. Alice quickly pulled him away and the two girls watched as they retreated to the parking lot, Alice constantly looking over her shoulder.

"Weirdo's." Maggie laughed.

"What was that?" Alice demanded as she sped throughout the empty back roads of town. Edward, looking less feral than he had before but feeling just as deadly, ignored his manic 'sister'. It was much easier to drown out her thoughts with his current state of mind.

_Kill. Drink. Kill. _

"Edward this is serious! I saw-"

"I know what you saw, Alice. I'm fine. We got out of there just fine." He snapped. Alice's vision had been so clear. Attacking the girl, exposing their family, going into hiding. Her blood called to him so strongly. It was gripping and fragrant and...arousing? Yes, something about the woman had stirred something long buried in him and he craved more. "Who was she?"

Alice stirred in her seat, "I don't know."

But Alice did know and she couldn't distract her mind fast enough. Caroline Jones. She sat three seat away from Alice in Statistics. Her mom worked as a nurse at the Forks hospital with Carslile. She was very attainable.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Sam laughed. Across the table Caroline's laughter matched his own. "There is no way that happened."

"I swear to god! I got up in front of the class to do my report and I threw up everywhere." Caroline took a bite of pasta. "This is really good Sam. Don't take this the wrong way but you don't seem like the guy who's a real whizz in the kitchen."

Sam shrugged playfully. When he was low on credits in high school he had taken the Intro to Cooking course and turns out he had a knack for it. Knowing his imprint liked his cooking made him feel a strange sense of pride.

Outside a wolf howled and Sam tensed. He waited five seconds for another howl, the packs call for trouble brewing but there was none.

"Are there lots of wolves down here?" Caroline asked, staring out the window. It was dark and she couldn't see anything past the tree line but she looked for the wolf that was not there.

"More than you would think."


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3. Read and review! Also I'm open to suggestions about how you guys want the story to go. Enjoy!**

When someone believes they are being watched they go on alert. The hairs on the back of their neck rise. Their heartbeat increases. They constantly look over their shoulder.

As soon as Caroline stepped into her bedroom after her date with Sam she couldn't shake the feeling of eyes on her back. She looked over her room once, twice, three times. She even tried to ignore it. Under the bed was empty, as was behind the door. Slowly, she walked over to her closet doors, putting a hand on the door nob and taking a deep breath.

"Caroline." Caroline jumped and swung around. Katie stood in the doorway, looking much younger than she was in her princess pajamas and hair in pig tails. Her brown eyes were huge on Caroline. "Mom's leaving for work. Can you make dinner?"

Caroline released the door handle and stepped away towards her sister. "Yeah. Let's go get something figured out."

Behind her Caroline closed her bedroom door and guided her sister down the stairs to the kitchen. Katie watched from the kitchen table as her older sister cooked up some pasta from a container in the fridge.

"How was your date?"

A small smile played on Caroline's lips. "It was fun. We're going out again next Wednesday."

Caroline placed a plate of pasta in front of Katie. Between mouthfuls she asked, "When will I get to meet him?"

"I don't know. Maybe later when we know each other more." Her younger sisters approval meant a lot to Caroline. Inside the warm house the patter of rain could be heard hitting the windows and it was terribly peaceful. After their meal the girls sat on the couch, watched a movie, and drifted into slumber.

Ten hours had passed and Edward was out of control. He paced. He broke his ornate furniture. His family feared for him and they feared for what he would do to the girl that so suddenly captivated him.

For all of his life, Edward had been a quiet, passive boy; human life and vampire life alike. He had always thought that he would wander the earth in his current state waiting for the end, by accident or grand design of some sort. That was of course until a few hours ago. He had to hunt, at least that was what he told his family he would be doing. At inhuman speed he reached _her _house. She wasn't home, though her mother and her sister were. Her window was left open, the strong scent told him it was her room.

_Stupid human girl._

Her scent was cinnamon and apples. It was all around him, attacking his senses. He knew all he had to do was wait; until he got his fill or until the girl came home. He couldn't bring himself to think her name. She was prey, nothing more than a deer in the forest. Giving her a name made her human. It made this wrong. He had been good for so long. Didn't he deserve a reward? His mind and body fought against each other. If he had any sort of soul that too would be fighting. He could hear her pulling into the driveway. The sound of her footsteps seemed to bounce up the stairs until she was in the room with him. He waited for her sweet smell to hit him but instead he was greeted with a scent he felt he hadn't known in a hundred years. Edward froze. Her mind was frantic, she knew he was there, just not that it was him. She knew somebody was there. Her hand rested on the door handle and Edward braced himself to pounce.

"Caroline." From the doorway her sister called to her. Like a smaller version of Caroline she stood wide eyed in the door.

Edward held his breath until the two left the room and he waited in the closet until the girls had fallen asleep. Once he emerged from his hideaway he silently made his way downstairs, pausing to watch Caroline sleep for just a moment. Watching her here, so at peace in her slumber, Edward couldn't believe he had let the monster resurface after so long. He made a promise to himself. He would never hurt the girl or her family. Later, back at his home, Edward clutched the shirt he had taken and thought that some things are easier said than done.

The next day at school a Cullen seemed to always be a few feet away from Caroline. Always behind her with an air of cool indifference. Some times it would be Alice or Edward or the other siblings who's names she hardly knew. Alice Cullen even talked to her once.

"Hi Caroline. Would you like to sit with us at lunch today?" The small girls sing song voice was like a razor in Caroline's ear. She had never really looked at Alice. Her dark hair hung in spiky wisps around her head and she had flawless skin. There was something grotesque about her smile.

Caroline politely declined the invitation, "Sorry I can't. I never stay on campus for lunch."

Alice's face fell and she tried to persuade her but Caroline had plans with Sam that she didn't plan on breaking. Several classes later when the lunch bell rang she made a beeline to her car. Until she reached the town border she could have sworn she saw a Volvo following her.


	4. Chapter 4

Caroline made it a mile past the border when she stopped for Sam on the side of the road. Sam had seen the Cullen boy's car trail off after Caroline had crossed the line to safety. He didn't know why she was being followed and it turned his stomach.

"Was that a Cullen following you?" He asked after the general chatter of 'how was your day'.

Caroline nodded her head, "Yeah. I swear it's like every time I turned around today one of his siblings was behind me. It's creeping me out."

The pair had parked at Sam's house and walked towards the door. Sam told her with a stern tone he had never used on her before, "They're dangerous. It would be in your best interest to stay away from them."

"Dangerous?" Caroline snorted, "Creepy, snobby, and self-righteous maybe, but I wouldn't go as far as saying dangerous."

Sam sighed. It was time. He wanted to wait but like so many other choices this one was taken away too. Not knowing the truth about him or the Cullen's complicated her safety. And Sam would not fucking stand for that.

He led her through the house, picking up a waste basket, and sat her down on his back porch stairs before stepping into his secluded back yard.

"I'm sorry about this." He told her before morphing into the giant wolf.

Caroline was...surprised to say the least. She didn't throw up. Instead she looked at Sam, mouth agape as he trotted around the back yard and slowly up to her. She gently raised her hand to his snout and pet his face. Then she threw up. Sam went back to human and guided her back into the house. He sat Caroline down on the couch and waited. It took her ten minutes to finally say something.

"Well shit."

"Yeah. That was my reaction the first time too." Sam chuckled lightly.

"If you could explain that would be nice."

So Sam did. He told her everything. The Cullen's, the pack, the imprint, the old legends. She only threw up one more time during it.

"So we're 'bound for life'?" She asked, her head in the waste basket.

Sam paused. Even with his stomach in his ass and his heart in his throat he remained n his air of Alpha professionalism. "Not exactly. I have to be whatever you need. Friend, brother, boyfriend. It's usually boyfriend. At least in the legends that's what it is. Nothings permanent until I mark you."

It was Caroline's turn to pause. All she said was, "OK. What does that mean?"

"Ugh well," Sam finally stuttered, a small blush climbing his cheeks, "It's something that would happen as we mated, if we mated. Ugh had sex."

Caroline nodded but kept her eyes on the ceiling as she had now rolled onto her back. For a long time there was no talking until she gave a laugh and said, "Want to watch a movie? We could watch The Wolfman."

Sam laughed and then she laughed again and pretty soon the room was full of laughter and jokes. Later Jared and Paul came over and they all laughed some more. Sam thought it went better than expected. In that moment, with his pack and his imprint he felt very at peace and it was easy to forget the dangerous world outside his walls. Easy until the night wore on and it was time for Caroline to return home.

"You're safe here. Once you pass the treaty line it's harder to protect." Sam told her. Quietly he added, "You should stay."

"Sam, I can't. I wish I could but I can't." And she couldn't. She had her sister and her mom and friends that could easily be in just as much danger as she was. She understood that now, that the Cullen's were a danger. She kissed him goodbye and as she rode off she could see a wolf running through the trees until she passed the treaty line.

Caroline had dreams of claws and teeth that night. She thrashed in bed until finally, at three in the morning, she went down into the kitchen to drink some tea. Her mother came in later and sat with her. Caroline's mother, Andrea, had once been very beautiful but time and sorrow had caused the beauty to fade some. Before her father died Caroline could remember that her mother seemed to have a permanent smile and joy radiated off of her. Andrea had lost the love of her life and it wore her down to the ground. Now it seemed only her daughters and her work brought her joy. Caroline didn't think it seemed like a happy life.

"How was your date?" Andrea asked.

Caroline gave a small smile. "It was interesting."

Andrea returned the smile, "Ah, good interesting or bad?"

"Just interesting. I like him a lot and I think we're going to be spending more time together."

"Don't tie yourself down to young. You seem to have another suitor." Andrea gave her daughter a pointed look. "A mister Edward Cullen came to the door asking for you today. He's very handsome, although I'm sure this Sam boy is too."

Freezing with her cup brought up halfway to her mouth Caroline asked her mother with the utmost seriousness, "What did Edward Cullen want?"

Mistaking her daughters fear with embarrassment Andrea continued, "Oh nothing. Just to see if you were busy. He said something about an English project you two were working on together."

"Oh." Was all she could say. There was no English project; they didn't even have English together. Caroline wished desperately that she could tell her mother what was going on but she knew that not telling her would protect her more. Already she missed their open relationship. She missed blissful ignorance to the world around her. She missed the security of a door with a lock. She felt like she was going to miss a lot of things.


End file.
